Why travel fees exist
On-site bridal makeup means the artist drives to you. That's the whole point — you stay in your robe with your bridesmaids, and the chair comes to you. But driving has costs: fuel, vehicle wear, and (most importantly) the artist's time spent not earning. Travel fees compensate for those.
An artist who quotes "no travel fee" is either rolling it into a higher base rate, taking a hit on their margin, or limiting their service area. None of those are wrong — but they affect comparisons. Always ask whether travel is included or separate when comparing quotes.
How travel is usually calculated
Most New Brunswick bridal artists use a two-tier structure:
- Inside city limits: A flat fee, usually $40–$60, regardless of where in the city you are.
- Outside city limits: The same flat fee as a base, plus a per-kilometre rate (typically $0.40–$0.60/km) applied to the round-trip distance.
The Amanda Phillips Makeup structure follows this pattern: $50 flat within Fredericton, $50 base + $0.80/km outside.
Worked examples for Fredericton venues
Here's what travel actually costs for common Fredericton-area wedding locations, calculated from downtown Fredericton:
Within Fredericton city limits
- The Crowne Plaza Fredericton — $50 flat
- Government House — $50 flat
- Delta Hotel Fredericton — $50 flat
- Garrison Inn — $50 flat
- Hartt Island Resort — $50 flat
Just outside Fredericton
- Kingsclear (15 km one way) — $50 + 30 × $0.80 = $65
- Mactaquac Provincial Park (20 km) — $50 + 40 × $0.80 = $70
- Lincoln (12 km) — $50 + 24 × $0.80 = $62
- Oromocto (25 km) — $50 + 50 × $0.80 = $75
Day-trip distance
- Saint John (110 km one way) — $50 + 220 × $0.80 = $160
- Moncton (180 km) — $50 + 360 × $0.80 = $230
- St. Andrews (130 km) — $50 + 260 × $0.80 = $180
- Miramichi (180 km) — $50 + 360 × $0.80 = $230
Far destinations (additional fees apply)
- PEI (260+ km, includes Confederation Bridge toll) — quoted individually
- Cape Breton (500+ km) — typically not offered as a single-day trip
What "one hour each way" means
If travel exceeds one hour in each direction, additional charges may apply beyond pure kilometres. The reason is simple: a wedding with a 9am start time and a venue two hours away means the artist is leaving home at 5am and not returning until late evening. That's a 14+ hour day, much of which isn't billable kilometres.
For weddings beyond the one-hour radius, the artist may quote:
- An early-start fee (often $50-$100 for arrivals before 6am)
- An accommodation reimbursement if the artist needs to stay the night before
- A higher base rate that wraps these into one cleaner number
None of this should be a surprise. A good contract will spell it out before you sign.
How to think about travel when comparing artists
When you're comparing two MUA quotes, always normalise them for travel. An artist quoting $200 + $0 travel for a Saint John wedding is almost certainly absorbing that cost or limiting their service area; an artist quoting $200 + $226 travel is being transparent.
Three questions to ask:
- Is travel included in the base rate, or quoted separately?
- What's the per-kilometre rate, and does it apply both ways?
- Is there an early-start fee for wedding mornings before 7am?
"A clear travel fee is a sign of an experienced artist. A vague one is a sign of someone who hasn't done this enough times to know what their morning actually costs."
Travel and timing
Beyond cost, travel affects the wedding-morning timeline. A 2-hour drive means the artist arrives later than a local would, which compresses the application window. Either the makeup starts later (risky) or the artist arrives earlier (which she factors into her morning).
For weddings outside Fredericton, the conversation about timing should happen at booking — not the week of. Most issues with destination travel come from compressed timelines, not the dollars.
How travel is paid
Travel fees are part of the day-of total, paid in cash when the artist arrives — not part of the booking fee. So for a bride + 4 party at a Saint John venue:
- $200 (bride) + 4 × $150 (party) + $160 (travel) = $835 cash day-of
- + $100 booking fee paid online when reserving
- = $935 total makeup investment
One more thing: parking
Most artists don't charge for parking, but venues with paid garages or downtown lots can rack up $20+ in a morning. If you're booking a venue with paid parking, mention it in the booking notes — most artists will simply add the parking pass cost or have you provide a validation. It's never the artist's job to absorb it.